This week a new Instagram account – You Did Not Eat That – shames ‘skinny’ people for ‘pretending’ they ate cupcakes and junk food. Yet, is that really fair argues writer Amy Molloy, who gets trolled for posting pictures of herself with chocolate… just because she exercises and chooses a healthy lifestyle. Or is this another example of ‘fit shaming’? In this week’s issue of Grazia, Amy reveals she is constantly criticised for choosing to exercise rather than go to the pub…
Amy Molloy is a self-confessed wellness junkie [Andy Baker]
‘I have a ritual whenever I go for a run. At the halfway mark, around six miles, I always stop to take a selfie. I’ve worked out the best angle to hold my iPhone to capture my flat stomach and my fluorescent trainers. I’ve even worked out the Instagram filter that makes me look glowing rather than sweaty, and makes my face looked tanned rather than bright red.
I post the photo on Instagram before setting off on the second leg of my run, although I’m not looking for praise. I do this for the same reason that fashion bloggers take a photograph of their outfits every day – because fitness is my passion and I want an online reminder of the moments that make me happy.
Amy has been trolled for her healthy lifestyle [Instagram]
Unfortunately, not everyone is as happy for me… and instead I find myself facing a daily barrage of fit-shaming. Here are some examples of comments left under my running selfies; ‘I bet you’re single aren’t you?’ and ‘Don’t you know that overexercising will make you fat.’
It doesn’t escape me that if I were a party girl far less people would judge me for posting a picture that showed me slurping on a cocktail or slumped on the sofa with a hangover, eating leftover pizza for breakfast. So, why do my #fitspiration photos seem to rub people up the wrong way?
Amy asks, could it be that her critics are just jealous?
I believe most fit-shamers are really just jealous. It’s easier for them to criticise my life then to change their own for the better. How many of their angry outburst are driven by tiredness, sleep-deprivation, too much caffeine and a chocolate-binge?
Some of us have self-control and choose to be a better version of ourselves. So my message to all the fit-shamers out there? Shift your priorities and you can be a health, selfie poster too… because deep down I think that’s what you really want.
Have you been fit-shamed? Let us know at feedback@graziamagazine.co.uk. This week’s issue of Grazia is out now